Cairo Explore Trip 2 Days From Sharm el Sheikh

Cairo Explore Trip 2 Days From Sharm el Sheikh

Imagine, if you spend an unforgettable two days in the very heart of Egypt – Cairo, plunge headlong into its ancient history, see and learn more than other tourists!

In the program of the first day you will find out what modern Cairo is like! You will visit the National Egyptian Museum, sail along the longest river in the world – the Nile, and with your own eyes and hands you will be able to touch the ancient civilization of the pharaohs – visiting the famous Egyptian pyramids, and the largest stone statue in the world – the Great Sphinx, you will see a real museum of papyrus and perfumes . And the night spent in the cabin of a sailing boat on the Nile River will be your best memory!

The program of the second day includes a visit to Coptic and Islamic Cairo: all seven ancient churches, the Ben Ezra synagogue, the Coptic Museum and the Babylonian Fortress, the citadel of Sallah El-Din, the ancient Islamic street El Muez, the famous El Hussein Mosque, the oldest Islamic university El -Azhar, the world-famous oriental bazaar – Khan El-Khalili, the Citadel of Saladin and the Alabaster Mosque of Mohamed Ali.

Dear tourists, please note:

– To enter Cairo you MUST need a visa stamp, the cost of which is $25. The cost of a visa is NOT included in the stated tour price. You can buy a visa yourself at the airport upon arrival, or later at any time.

– The day of the trip must be booked in advance by writing to us.

– The distance between Sharm El Sheikh and Cairo is 506.4 km (about 8 hours by bus)

Program of the first day of a “Cairo Explore Trip 2 Days From Sharm el Sheikh”:

– Pick up from your hotel in Sharm El Sheikh

Our guide will pick you up from your hotel gate around midnight (we will tell you the exact time after booking the excursion). On the way, you will have a stop at a comfortable cafe to relax, drink a hot drink and have a snack. You will arrive in Cairo around 07:00-08:00 am.

– Egyptian Museum in Cairo

First stop in Cairo is the Grand Egyptian Museum. Let us remind you that this is the world’s largest repository of ancient Egyptian art, the collection of which includes 160 thousand exhibits from all historical periods of ancient Egypt. The museum was founded in 1858. On the ground floor of the museum are exhibited fragments of walls with reliefs, heavy stone sarcophagi, statues and steles. On the second floor there are manuscripts, figures of gods, mummies and their funeral masks, antique statues and vases. There are also statues of pharaohs Khafre, Amenemhet III, mummies and sarcophagi of the priests of Amun, and the famous golden mask of Tutankhamun weighing almost 11 kg.

– Sailing boat on Nile River

At the second stop, you will be offered an optional ride on a Felucca sailing boat along the Nile River with incredible scenery all around, away from the bustling city – costing $10, for up to 45 minutes.

– Lunch on Nile River

At the end of the boat ride, lunch will be waiting for you. It is important to note that lunch will take place on a moored Felucca boat, right on the Nile! After lunch you will go shopping at a papyrus, oils and perfumes factory.

– Pyramids and Sphinx in Cairo

And the last, but most important part of the program: a visit to the Great Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx. The ancient Egyptian necropolis consists of the Pyramid of Cheops (Khufu, also known as the “Great Pyramid”) – 140 meters high and 4500 years old, the slightly smaller Pyramid of Khafre and the southernmost, latest and lowest pyramid of Mykerina, the volume of which is only a tenth of the pyramid Cheops. In addition to them, much smaller satellite pyramids (the pyramids of the valley and the pyramids of the queens) rise in the necropolis. The surface of the pyramids is covered with slabs of polished white limestone, and after the fall of the ancient Egyptian civilization, the limestone was stolen by local residents for their own needs.

The Great Sphinx is the oldest surviving monumental sculpture on Earth. The Sphinx was carved from a monolithic limestone rock in the shape of a lion lying on the sand, whose face was given a resemblance to Pharaoh Khafre, whose funeral pyramid is located nearby. The Sphinx, 73 meters long and 20 meters high, ranks first among single-stone statues in the world. Between the paws of the sphinx there was a small sanctuary. The face (or rather the nose) of the modern Sphinx is badly damaged, the reasons for this are not exactly known, but there are a number of theories. For example, one of them says that Napoleon’s troops used the face of the Sphinx as a target for shooting. But it is impossible to confirm or refute this.

Dear tourists, please note that entrance to the Pyramids is paid (optional, about $25).

– Free time

The tour ends around 17:00. After this, you will be accommodated on a 4* Cruise ferry right on the Nile, where you will be treated to dinner along with an entertainment program in the form of a national show, and the liner itself will calmly sail from the pier at this time, offering you an amazing view of the city lights at night from the open decks. Then you can have a good rest in comfortable cabins.

Program of the second day of a “Cairo Explore Trip 2 Days From Sharm el Sheikh”:

– Breakfast

– Church and Monastery of St. George, Church of Saint Peter and Paul, Hanging Church (St. Mary’s Church), Coptic Museum, Babylonian fortress, Ben Ezra Synagogue

After breakfast at the hotel, we head to the Old Cairo area visiting the oldest Coptic churches:

– Church and Monastery of St. George – belongs to the Coptic Orthodox Church; on the territory of the monastery there is a temple of St. George and the residence of the Patriarch of Alexandria.

– Church of Saints Peter and Paul – was built in 1911 on the site of the grave of Boutros Gali (Prime Minister of Egypt 1908-1910). And the entire construction process took place under the supervision of the Gali family

– Hanging Church (St. Mary’s Church) – so named because of its location above the Roman naval bastions and water gates

– Coptic Museum – which houses the world’s richest collection of Coptic art

– Babylonian fortress – built in 30 BC with the arrival of Emperor Augustus in Egypt

– Ben Ezra Synagogue – gained its fame due to the repository of ancient Jewish, Aramaic and Judeo-Arabic manuscripts accidentally found in it. The collection became known as the Cairo Geniza.

– El Muez Street, El Hussein Mosque, El Azhar University

In the next part of the program we will visit Islamic Cairo:

– El Muez Street is a separate world in the heart of Cairo, one of the oldest streets, every step on which writes history. Along it and adjacent alleys there are 55 historical buildings (mosques, mansions, tombs)

– El Hussein Mosque is one of the holiest Islamic sites in Cairo, founded on the cemetery of the Fatimid caliphs. The mosque is named after the grandson of the Islamic prophet Muhammad Hussein ibn Ali, whose head, according to legend, was transferred to a mosque in Cairo in 1153, for which this temple was built.

– El Azhar University is one of the oldest in the world and the most prestigious Muslim university

– Lunch at the restaurant

– Saladin citadel, Alabaster Mosque, Khan El Khalili

After lunch and a short break, you will visit the Saladin citadel.

The fortress, or citadel of Saladin, was built in 1176-1183, and according to Salah ad-Din’s intention, it was planned to turn the Cairo citadel into a city within a city, but he failed. In appearance, it is a massive Ottoman-style fortress, housing 3 palaces, 2 museums and the Alabaster Mosque.

Then we will go to the most famous oriental market in the world – “Khan El-Khalili” for shopping and an indescribable atmosphere of the east.

– Transfers back to your hotel in Sharm El Sheikh

The tour ends around 17:00. And we return to Sharm El Sheikh together.

You will arrive at your hotel in Sharm El Sheikh around midnight.

Dear tourists, we kindly ask you to familiarize yourself with the weather forecast before your trip.

• A valid Egyptian visa stamp (approximately $25) is mandatory for this excursion and is not included in the tour price.
• The journey between Sharm El Sheikh and Cairo takes approximately 8 hours by bus each way.
• The optional Nile Felucca sailing experience costs approximately $10 per person and lasts up to 45 minutes.
• Entrance inside the Great Pyramids is optional and requires an additional fee of approximately $25 per person.
• Overnight accommodation is provided on a 4-star Nile cruise, including dinner and an evening entertainment program.
• The excursion includes extensive walking through historical and religious sites, so comfortable walking shoes are highly recommended.